Nov 17, 2015 04:03 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Tom Izzo is once again forced to deal with injuries early on in the season, which makes the Michigan State Spartans' (13) matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks (4) that much taller of an order.

Both Gavin Schilling and Marvin Clark are out for Michigan State with a toe and foot injury, respectively. Their absence will give the Spartans trouble defending Kansas' frontcourt for the second game of the 2015 Champions Classic.

Click here to listen to the game live via TuneIn and here to watch the game live with WatchESPN. Tipoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET in Chicago, Ill.

With Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor, and Carlton Bragg, Kansas will throw a trio of power forwards Michigan State's way to challenge the Spartans down low. However, the Jayhawks will be without Cheick Diallo, a freshman whose eligibility is being investigated by the NCAA.

"Hell no I don't want to see him. I mean, do you want me to lie?" Izzo said of Diallo at his weekly press conference. "He's a good player, but trust me, they've got enough good players in there without him. Some of those guys have started a lot of games.

"For Bill's sake, I hope he's eligible. For my sake, he can be eligible the next game."

Michigan State will also have to deal with inexperience this season, whereas Kansas is returning a number of upperclassmen, such as Ellis, Traylor, Frank Mason, and Wayne Selden Jr.

"I'm looking at it as we have a negative that we have two potential starters out," Izzo said. "(But) we have a positive that we have one of our best freshmen in a lot of years - one of our best freshmen big men in a long, long time - is going to get some valuable experience against some of the best at that position."

(Quotes courtesy of ESPN, rankings courtesy of The Associated Press)

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